Air Charter Safety Foundation Holds First Symposium

Yesterday, the newly formed Air Charter Safety Foundation (ACSF) concluded its inaugural Air Charter Safety Symposium, which was held at the NTSB Training Center in Ashburn, Va. The goal was to host 50 to 60 attendees, according to ACSF chairman and Priester Aviation chairman and CEO Charlie Priester, but more than 110 attendees filled the auditorium at the NTSB center. The charter industry’s focus on safety through the ACSF, said Priester, “is essential; it needs to be done. I believe we’re at a critical point in terms of public perception, complexity of operations and the pilot shortage.” According to Preister, the ACSF is a nonpartisan and nonprofit organization focused on charter safety, including the gathering of more accurate and useful statistics on industry safety and operational issues. The symposium focused on examinations of charter safety issues, safety management systems, operational issues and tools that operators can use to improve safety. Additionally, the ACSF announced that Jacque Rosser is the group’s new executive director. Rosser was NATA’s director of regulatory affairs.